Remodeling a kitchen involves countless decisions, measurements, and plans — and often changes to those plans. It’s unrealistic to expect a renovation to go perfectly without a few hiccups, and our remodel was no exception. You may have already heard about our huge tile miscalculation on our podcast, but here are five other mistakes we made, noticed, and corrected (sometimes just in the nick of time). If you’re planning a kitchen renovation, keep an eye out for these potential pitfalls.
Mistake #1: An Almost Off-Center Doorway
When we framed the opening between the kitchen and living room, it looked fine at first glance. But a cluster of studs on one side revealed we’d framed it a few inches off center. We did the classic “Is it? No, it isn’t…” back-and-forth until Sherry pulled out a tape measure and confirmed it was nearly three inches closer to the wall on one side. That small offset would have made the built-in bookcases on the opposite wall look noticeably lopsided.
We corrected the framing the next day, and are grateful we caught it early — it was an easy fix compared with having to live with asymmetrical built-ins for years.
Mistake #2: Bad Fridge Placement
Originally we planned to place the refrigerator right next to the door to keep the pantry wall uninterrupted. That made sense on paper, but once the cabinets went in the refrigerator’s height looked visually unbalanced next to the door — the two large rectangles didn’t align and your eye kept wanting them to line up.
Sherry mocked up an alternate layout in Photoshop that added a pantry cabinet between the fridge and the door, giving each some breathing room. I was reluctant to bother the installers, but Sherry asked anyway and they happily moved the fridge. The swap took under 15 minutes and the result looks much more balanced.
Mistake #3: Barely There Lights
We first installed simple glass globe pendants over the island because they were classic and affordable. In daylight they were fine, but at night — especially when viewed from the living room sofa — they looked too delicate next to our chunky island. They weren’t wrong, just underwhelming for the scale of the space.
After searching for something with more presence while retaining a polished-nickel stem, we ended up designing custom pendants that met our size, finish, and price needs. Now the lighting reads properly for the scale of the island and is one of our favorite features.
Mistake #4: Ill-Fitting Stools
Sherry found stools we loved from a high-end store and purchased them, including delivery. They sat in our garage during floor work and we brought them in right before the counters were installed. As soon as they were in the kitchen we realized their armrests were too tall to tuck under a standard-height counter, meaning they wouldn’t slide in neatly.
It was surprising that “counter-height” stools wouldn’t fit under a standard counter, but we returned them for a full refund. That pushed us to keep looking and we ended up with more affordable wooden stools with backs that fit perfectly and suit the room much better.
Mistake #5: Repainting. Twice.
At first we painted the walls Simply White by Benjamin Moore to create a bright, unified backdrop while the rest of the room came together. But as finishes and tile were installed, the white felt too stark — like we hadn’t finished painting. Installing the backsplash and deciding to continue the tile around the door helped point us to a better wall color.
We switched to a light gray called Irish Mist by Behr, which provided a subtle contrast with trim and cabinets and picked up tones from the tile. The change made the room feel cohesive and balanced. We also repainted the garage door twice: an initial choice (Blue Horizon by Sherwin-Williams) looked too powdery once applied, so we ended up with a more muted Lime Light by Behr that harmonizes with the nook and tiles.
Bonus: Mistakes We Avoided
Here are three things we planned ahead for that could’ve become regrets if we hadn’t.
Bonus Tip #1: Leave Space For Tile
We wanted the backsplash tile to run to the ceiling and wrap around the windows, so we intentionally left a 7″ gap on each side of the windows. That gap allowed a good amount of visible tile while keeping cabinet sizes standard so nothing had to be custom. Choosing slightly narrower cabinets was worth the final look of continuous tile.
Bonus Tip #2: Try Horizontal Outlets
We rotated the outlets on their sides and placed them lower and closer to the counters so they’re easier to access but less visually obvious on the backsplash. The outlets are still usable when needed, but they don’t interrupt the tile’s visual flow the way vertically-placed outlets would have.
Bonus Tip #3: Don’t Settle For The Default
We liked a local cabinet line but didn’t love their stock option for the exhaust hood. Rather than accepting the default, we sourced a 30″ wood vent cover from another vendor and painted it to match, using the cabinet maker’s touch-up paint to ensure a seamless look. It gave us the valance-style cover we preferred without compromising finish or fit.
Small decisions add up in a major renovation. We almost made other missteps — like putting the dishwasher on the right side of the sink where it would have been visible from the front door — but planning and a few course corrections prevented regrets. The devil is in the details, and anticipating those details can save time and headaches later on.
Renovations rarely go exactly as planned. Expect a few speed bumps, measure twice, double-check sight lines, and don’t be afraid to make changes when something feels off — catching issues early can turn potential long-term regrets into quick fixes.